


Vanishing Mind

by TVXQmamacita



Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Bittersweet, Dementia, Family, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-02-27 13:38:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 18,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18740143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TVXQmamacita/pseuds/TVXQmamacita
Summary: “I can forget everything else in this world, but I don't want to forget you.”





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The idea for this story came to me one night and I haven't been able to focus on anything since then. So here it is. 
> 
> Your author read like three articles about dementia so if you're reading this fic and hoping for medical accuracy then I've got news for you buddy.

“I can imagine how much money we’d save if you would just remember to turn off the lights when you leave a room,” Changmin said, rolling his eyes as he flicked off the light switch in the kitchen.

Yunho rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous laugh escaping his lips. “I coulda sworn…” he trailed off.

An exasperated smile crossed Changmin’s lips. “What am I gonna do with you?” he teased as the two of them made their way to the bedroom.

Yunho knew he was definitely blushing. “I’m not _that_ bad,” he defended.

Changmin hummed, as the two of them climbed into bed. “You would lose your arm if it wasn’t attached to you. I don’t know what you would do without me.”

Yunho wrapped his arms around Changmin, pulling the younger one close to him. “That’s why you’ll stay with me forever? So I don’t lose any body parts?”

“I suppose I’d have to,” Changmin muttered as Yunho planted a kiss on his forehead.

* * *

Yunho picks up on the fourth ring.

 _“Hello?”_ The greeting almost seems cold, as if Changmin was the last person Yunho wanted to speak to. Instead of receiving Yunho’s loud and animated greeting, this one was dull and uninviting.

“You seem excited to hear from me,” Changmin says sarcastically, though there is a hint of bitterness in his voice.

 _“Uh...sorry,”_ Yunho apologizes. _“Distracted. What...um..what’s wrong?”_

Changmin smiles, the small amount of anger that built up was suddenly fading. “I know you’re probably busy at work so I’ll be quick. Kyuhyun’s engaged; Seohyun said yes.”

_“Oh? Cool.”_

Changmin pauses. “Yunho,” he groans. “My best friend just got engaged. At least _pretend_ to be excited for me.”

_“Wait, Changmin I-”_

“See you later, Yunho.”

Changmin ended the call before he could hear whatever Yunho had to say.

* * *

Changmin wasn’t home when Yunho got off work.

Minho had called him, insisting they go out to celebrate Kyuhyun’s recent engagement, and Changmin readily accepted. He would love an opportunity to forget Yunho’s attitude from earlier.

Changmin knew it could have been anything; Yunho was probably just having a hard day at work. But Changmin couldn’t shake the feeling that there was so much more than that.

When Changmin finally comes home, he thought Yunho was asleep.

The apartment is so quiet, and with the exception of the plate in the sink, there’s no other sign of life in the apartment.

“Yunho?” Changmin calls out as he makes his way to the bedroom.

Changmin feels as if his stomach falls to his feet at what he sees.

Whenever Yunho was deep in thought, it was if his body shut down. It was something that completely freaked out Changmin when the two of them had first started dating. It was as if Yunho was in a trance; he was so focused that his body would go still, as Yunho had a blank look on his face.

Yunho is in that trance now, but instead of a look of intense concentration, Yunho looked completely lost…

...almost terrified.

Yunho is sitting in bed, his knees hugged to his chest. He’s just staring straight ahead and Changmin is sure that he can see Yunho trembling.

“Yunho?” Changmin tries again as he climbed into bed.

Finally, Yunho seems to notice him.

He jumps, and faces Changmin.

His eyes are red and wet, and Changmin is sure that Yunho definitely didn’t want to catch him in this state.

“Ch-Changmin,” Yunho chokes. “You’re supposed to be with-”

“I wanted to see you,” Changmin interrupts. “Yunho...what’s wrong?”

Yunho smiles, as if Changmin was supposed to completely forget what he just saw. “It’s nothing, Changmin,” he answers, quickly wiping at his eyes. “I’ve just been...thinking about things.”

“What things?” Changmin wraps his arm around Yunho’s shoulders. “It can’t be just ‘nothing’ if it has you this upset.”

Yunho takes a deep breath, closing his eyes and leaning further into Changmin’s hold. There’s a long pause as Yunho gets himself to speak. “I think...I think something’s wrong with me.”

Changmin’s quiet, expecting Yunho to continue, but the older one remains silent. It takes a few moments for Changmin to realize that Yunho is trying to further explain, but the words are trapped at the back of his throat. Changmin can’t remember the last time he had seen Yunho so distraught, and Changmin wants nothing more than to help Yunho in whatever way possible.

“You’ve been putting extra hours at work, Yunho,” Changmin tries. “You might be getting tired or sick-”

“It’s not that,” Yunho counters. He’s shaking his head trying to figure this out too, but his mind is repeatedly coming up empty. “It’s not that.”

“Then tell me what’s happening,” Changmin pleads.

“I...I’ve been forgetting things…” Yunho finally mutters. He sounds so embarrassed. “And losing things…”

“That’s...that’s normal, Yunho,” Changmin replies. He almost wants to laugh, but seeing as how broken up Yunho looks, Changmin bites his lip. “We both know you can be absent-minded some-”

“I forgot you.”

At that statement, Changmin feels his body temperature drop. “What...what do you mean?”

“When you called today,” Yunho explains. “I...I saw your name...and your picture on my phone when you called and I...I didn’t know who you were.”

“Yunho-”

“I forgot you,” Yunho repeats. His voice cracked and it sounded as if he was about to start crying again. “I forgot you. I’m not supposed to forget you.”

Changmin shushes him, hugging Yunho impossibly closer. “It’s...its okay, Yunho.”

Yunho shakes his head. “It’s not okay.”

“Yunho,” Changmin whispers, Yunho’s head buried in his chest. “Listen to me. Tonight, you’re going to rest, okay? I promise we’ll figure out what’s going on, but right now, you’re going to rest.”

Yunho nods, letting Changmin maneuver him so they were both lying down.

“You’re okay, Yunho,” Changmin whispers. “Just rest. You’ll be okay.”

* * *

Yunho and Changmin continue searching for answers.

In the meantime, Yunho’s memory gets worse. Yunho takes extended leave from work; he can barely understand the cases he had been working on anymore.

Somedays, he forgets basic things such as tying his shoes or constantly forgetting where he last left his reading glasses (but they were on his desk every time).

Or there was the time Yunho’s best friend, Hojun, shows up announced, and Yunho has no idea who he was. Changmin has to be the one to break the bad news to Hojun, while Yunho apologizes profusely once his memories return.

Yunho gets referred to three specialists before they finally get the answers to all their questions.

When they do get the answers, however, Changmin wants nothing more than to break down and cry right then and there.

Yunho is diagnosed with dementia, but he takes the news like a champ.

He nods at the doctor’s words, taking in every bit of information the doctor had to give them.

While Changmin feels like he’s about to explode, Yunho is so resolved, staying calm for the entire visit to the doctor’s office. He’s taking the news as if dementia is some basic inconvenience such as losing a sock. Changmin isn't sure if Yunho's reaction is due to utter shock, or just Yunho being Yunho; probably a little bit of both. Either way, it worries Changmin because he’s sure Yunho’s reaction can’t be healthy.

“Are you okay?” Changmin asks once they get home.

Yunho nods, flashing his signature smile. “Of course I’m okay, Changminnie.”

But Yunho isn’t okay, and Changmin is certain of it. “You’re not scared or...or upset?” Because there’s no way Yunho could still be happy knowing what was happening to him.

Yunho sighs. “I…” he trails off, as if trying to formulate the words to describe exactly what he was feeling.

“Yunho, I just want you to know….you’re allowed to kick and scream about this. You’re allowed to be angry about this, or sad, or disappointed. You always want to play the tough guy. You don’t have to do that, especially now.”

“I’m...I’m still so young,” Yunho mutters. His demeanor has changed; his shoulders hang low as if they’re holding something heavy, but Yunho is still trying to carry the load with optimism.

Changmin nodded. “You are.”

“I just...I just want all of this to be a bad dream that I’m trapped in,” Yunho confesses. “That I’ll wake up in a few hours and everything will be back to normal.”

Changmin can’t figure out how to reply to Yunho’s statement, because he feels the exact same way. Changmin really wants nothing more than to wake up and find out that all of this wasn’t real. He’d wake up, probably shaken up by the whole thing, and Yunho would pull him into his arms and remind him it was all a bad dream until Changmin finally calmed down.

Changmin hopes that, if he prays hard enough, all of this would just vanish and their lives will go back to normal right away.

* * *

The tough guy act only lasted for another week.

Changmin had cooked dinner for the both of them. He easily noticed that Yunho was picking at his food, playing with his chopsticks, as if the plate in front of him were the most boring thing in the world.

“Yunho,” Changmin says. “Are you okay?”

Yunho wasn’t okay, of course he wasn’t.

Because as soon as that question leaves Changmin’s lips, Yunho starts crying.

It wasn’t just a few quiet sobs and hiccups. It wasn’t anything Changmin had ever seen. It was a series of heartwrenching cries and wails. Yunho is crying as if his whole body is on fire and Changmin is powerless to extinguish it.

Changmin practically falls out of his own chair in order to rush to Yunho’s side.

He’s crouched on the floor and Yunho immediately falls into his arms. At this point the two of them were on the floor, barely able to hold themselves together.

The weight of Yunho’s diagnosis must have finally hit him, and Changmin was both happy and sad that it was finally happening.

Changmin holds Yunho as tightly as he can, letting the older one bury his face into his chest. All Changmin wants Yunho to understand right now is that he wasn’t going to be alone in all of this. Changmin will let Yunho cry as much as he needed to. He’d let Yunho lean on him as much as possible.

Changmin’s shirt is getting completely drenched with Yunho’s tears and snot, but Changmin couldn’t care less.

He simply rubs circles in Yunho’s back, whispering gentle reassurances that he hopes Yunho hears.

Eventually, Yunho’s cries die down to small hiccups, and Changmin just runs his fingers through Yunho’s hair as he waits for the older one to calm down.

Yunho is so tired; Changmin can tell by the way Yunho was sagging more and more onto Changmin.

“Let’s get you to bed, Yunho,” Changmin whispered.

Yunho doesn’t say anything in agreement, but he doesn’t fight the suggestion either, so Changmin slowly stands the both of them up.

“I messed up your shirt,” Yunho says hoarsely.

Changmin shakes his head. It’s an old shirt that can easily just be thrown in the washer, and Changmin can’t believe that’s what Yunho was concerned about that of all things. “It doesn’t matter. Let’s get some rest, okay?”

Changmin guides Yunho to bed, not even bothered by the fact that their dinner plates were left on the table.

Even as they laid in bed, Yunho can’t get himself to let go. He holds onto Changmin tightly, and Changmin can’t find it in his heart to tell Yunho how uncomfortable it was.

“I’m going to forget you,” Yunho sobs. “I don’t want to forget you.”

“Yunho-”

“I love you so much,” Yunho continues. “And one day I’m not going to know you at all. How can I forget the most important person in my life?”

“It won’t be your fault, though,” Changmin reminded him. Yunho’s mind is deteriorating, and there was nothing Yunho could do to stop it or reverse it.

Yunho knew that, but it didn’t reassure him in the slightest.

Yunho brings a hand to Changmin’s face, brushing away a few strands of hair. “Every morning I wake up next to you and I see your face and that motivates me to be the best version of myself. I want to be someone you’ll always be proud of.”

Now Changmin feels his eyes watering up. “I _am_ proud of you, Yunho. I always will be.”

“One day I’m going to wake up and not know who you are,” Yunho continues, as if he hadn’t heard Changmin at all. “It’s...it’s not fair.”

“It’s not fair,” Changmin agrees. “You don’t deserve this.”

“It’s not fair for you,” Yunho mutters, his gaze shifting away from Changmin.

Changmin shakes his head. Yunho was on the verge of losing his health, his future, his hopes and dreams, yet the only thing that was going through Yunho's mind was Changmin's wellbeing. Yunho was so selfless it really hurt sometimes.

“This isn’t about me.”

“It is,” Yunho argues. “I know how hurt you were when I first forgot you. You’ll have to feel that pain everyday. It’s not fair to you.”

“I'll be okay, Yunho,” Changmin promises. “You shouldn't worry about me.” Because Changmin was going to be okay. He wasn’t sure how, but he’d figure that out eventually.

Yunho swallows the lump in his throat. How could Changmin say he shouldn't worry about him? Yunho has always worried about Changmin and there's no way he could stop now.

“Hey, Yunho?” Changmin says suddenly. He giggles, causing Yunho to look at him in confusion. “Do I still look as handsome as the day we met?”

Yunho smiles and combs his fingers through Changmin’s hair once more. “Even _more_ handsome than when we first met.”

“Good,” Changmin replies, though he feels the heat rising in his cheeks.

Yunho chuckles. “Why are you so concerned with your looks all of a sudden?”

“You said that when we first met,” Changmin began. “I was so handsome that your heart skipped a beat. Do you remember that?”

Yunho nods. Yunho remembers the day they first met in perfect detail, and suddenly felt his heart drop in realizing that one day, he’d forget that too.

Changmin was still smiling, but he could see the tears forming in his eyes, and his voice becoming thick with emotion.

“You can feel that every morning,” Changmin explains. “When you see my beautiful face, you’ll fall in love with me every time.”

Yunho laughs, which, in turn, caused Changmin to laugh.

The two of them laughed until they cried, and neither of them could be sad about the situation for now.

And once Changmin falls asleep, Yunho can’t get himself to do the same.

Instead, he sits up, staring at Changmin and studying his features.

Yunho runs his fingers through Changmin’s hair. He always loved how soft Changmin’s hair was; it was thick and unruly and just as stubborn as Changmin but Yunho loves it.

He brushes his fingers against Changmin’s eyes. Changmin hated how they looked, and hated how his right eye got small everytime he laughed. Yunho always thought that was one of the cutest things about Changmin.

Yunho’s fingers briefly touch Changmin’s lips and he wonders if he could send a quick kiss to his lips without waking him up. But Yunho decides against it; Changmin needs his sleep.

He would give anything to remember Changmin forever. He wants his mind to remember every detail about Changmin; from the sound of his laugh, to his favorite foods, to the shoes he wore during their last movie date.

Changmin shifts in his sleep, a small moan coming from his lips. Yunho hopes Changmin wasn’t having a nightmare right now; he has so many of them, and Yunho wonders what comfort Changmin would get during his nightmares once Yunho can’t be the one to provide it.

A small noise came from Changmin again, and Yunho feels his protective nature kick in.

He laid down properly, pulling Changmin close to him. “It’s okay, baby,” Yunho whispered. “You’re okay. Just sleep.”

Changmin mutters something that Yunho can't understand, and then relaxes in Yunho’s hold.

Yunho just wants time to freeze. He wants to hold Changmin in his arms for years and years.

Changmin sleeps soundly for the rest of the night.

Yunho doesn’t sleep a wink.

* * *

Changmin, no matter how much he doesn’t want to, returns to work.

He had been away for too long, apparently, because he has a deadline that crept up on him and he isn’t sure if he can even finish any of this. He’s distracted, and the amount of work he needs to finish is tremendous.

Changmin fears the worst when his cell phone starts ringing.

It’s Yunho, and it turns out that Changmin’s fear is justified.

“Hello? Yunho?”

_“Changmin?”_

Yunho’s voice is shaking as if he’s on the verge of crying.

“Yunho. What’s wrong?”

_“I...I don’t know where I am.”_

“What?”

_“I...I took a walk and...Changmin can you come get me? I don’t know where I am.”_

Changmin can hear Yunho’s voice wobbling. His breath rate is increasing, and Changmin can imagine Yunho looking frantically around trying get his bearings.

“Yunho, baby, listen to me,” Changmin pleads. “Can you describe where you are?”

 _“Uh,”_ Yunho sobs. _“I don’t...I don’t know.”_

“Take a deep breath,” Changmin instructs. “Take a few deep breaths, okay?” Changmin feels as if he’s on the verge of panicking along with Yunho, and he wonders which one of them would collapse first.

 _“I want to go home,”_ Yunho begs.

“I know you do,” Changmin replies. “And I’m coming to pick you up as soon as I can, okay? But for me to get to you I need you to tell me what you see.”

Changmin mentally berates himself for not activating a tracker on Yunho’s phone. He should have seen something like this happening.

 _“I...I see...an elephant...and a giraffe,”_ Yunho said. _“They’re statues.”_

Changmin sighs. That was a start. “Yunho, what else do you see?”

Yunho groans. He almost sounds frustrated, as if the vague description he gave previously would give Changmin an automatic idea of where he is. _“Trees...and a playground...there’s a playground.”_  
Changmin sighs in relief. Yunho isn’t too far from home, and that thought put Changmin’s mind at ease.

“Yunho, listen to me, okay? You’re near the pre-school. Do you see a bench near the front gate?”

_“Y-yeah.”_

“Sit at the bench and wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”

_“Can...can you stay on the phone with me until you come?”_

“Of course, Yunho. Of course.”

Changmin makes a mad dash to his car, saying a quick explanation to his boss for his sudden departure. But Changmin continues talking to Yunho over the phone, speaking whatever nonsense came into his head so he could calm Yunho’s nerves as much as he could.

Once Changmin arrives at the front of the pre-school, Yunho is still on the bench.

Changmin releases a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as he rushed over to Yunho.

“Yunho,” Changmin mutters as sat down.

Yunho doesn’t say anything in reply. He just wraps his arms around Changmin and let’s relief wash over him.

“It’s okay, Yunho,” Changmin whispers as he hugged Yunho. “What happened?”

“I...I got bored and I wanted to take a walk but...I think I got lost somehow and just...I don’t know.”

Again, Changmin can't help but blame himself for this. Of course Yunho would have a case of cabin fever. Yunho hates solitude and isn't the type of person who could be stationary for so long. Leaving him home alone was a stupid move. “I’m going to take you home, okay?”

Yunho nods, and allows himself to be led to the car.

The ride home is mostly quiet; Yunho just stared out the window the whole time, and Changmin was too stuck in his own head to make conversation right now.

When Changmin and Yunho arrive home, Yunho is still very subdued.

“I’ll make you something to eat,” Changmin offers.

Yunho shakes his head, his eyes still glued to the floor. “I’m really tired. Can I take a nap?”

“Okay,” Changmin resigns with a sigh, following Yunho to their bedroom.

“I’m sorry for calling you from work,” Yunho apologizes as he lays onto the bed.

“Don’t worry about that,” he says, shaking his head. “Your safety is the most important. I’ll always come for you.”

Yunho smiles at that, and that makes Changmin feel better.

“You’re so good to me,” Yunho says.

Changmin leans down and kisses Yunho’s forehead. “Get some sleep.”

* * *

“We should break up,” Yunho says.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m breaking up with you,” Yunho said. He said it so casually, as if all the years spent together meant nothing.

“I-what-why?”

Yunho sighs, closing his eyes. “It’s what’s best.”

“Best for who?” Changmin asks. “Because by the looks of it I don’t see a benefit for either one of us!”

“Open your eyes, Changmin!” Yunho shouts, slamming his hands on the table. “I have dementia! I’m losing my memories and soon I’ll get so bad that I won’t even know who I am-”

“Yunho-”

“My lifespan’s basically been reduced to nothing! In just a few years, I’ll be an invalid!”

Changmin shakes his head, tears falling from his eyes as he wanted nothing more than for Yunho to stop talking.

“You still have a future, Changmin!” Yunho continues. “You can’t stop your whole life to make sure I’m okay!”

“Yunho, stop!”

“I want you to be happy, Changmin. You can’t possibly be happy when you have to pause your life to babysit me.”

Changmin sobs. “What are you saying?”

Yunho gets closer to Changmin, cupping Changmin’s face in his hands. “I’m saying that you shouldn’t feel obligated to stay with me,” he explains. “I’m saying that I shouldn’t hold you down. You should leave and live the life you’re meant to.” Yunho uses his thumbs to wipe the tears from Changmin’s cheeks. “You’re so smart, and beautiful, and caring. You can still find someone who will love you and support you as much as you deserve.”

Changmin grabs Yunho’s wrists. “Yunho...do you still love me?”

A part of Yunho is screaming at himself to say “no”; that maybe he should hurt Changmin so much that the younger one would have no choice but to walk out. But Yunho can’t get himself to hurt Changmin like that, not anymore than he already has. Yunho nods instead. “I always will,” he croaks.

“And I’ll always love you,” Changmin says. “I can’t leave you; I won’t.”

“You shouldn’t have to worry about this,” Yunho insists.

“I’m not leaving,” Changmin replies. “Please, Yunho. This is my choice.”

“I’m going to be so useless to you.”

Changmin shakes his head. “You’ll never be useless to me,” he promises. “Never.”

* * *

“Let’s get married,” Yunho says one afternoon.

“Wh-what?” Changmin stutters. The suggestion was so sudden that Changmin had to make sure he heard correctly. Just two weeks ago, Yunho had insisted that Changmin left him, now he was insisting on marriage. To say that Changmin was confused would be an understatement.

“Only if you want to,” Yunho stumbled back. “I don’t want to pressure you into anything I just…” he sighs, sitting down next to Changmin. “I just...a few years ago, I made a list of everything I wanted to do before I died...and...marrying you was the second one.”

“Second one?” Changmin asks. “What’s the first one?”

Yunho laughs shyly. “The first one was taking you to Paris. I’d take you to the Eiffel tower and propose to you there…” Yunho heard Changmin gasp, and his gaze shifted to his lap, Yunho started playing with his fingers as he was hit with a sudden case of shyness. “I’m not sure how much time we have left before the dementia hits me at full force. We may not have time to plan a trip to Europe but...we definitely have time to buy some nice suits and have a court wedding. I know it’s not ideal...but I love the idea of marrying you, and I’d like to have the memory with me for a while, you know? I just want-”

Yunho is cut off as Changmin grabs his face, pulls him close, and kisses him.

When Changmin finally ends the kiss, their foreheads pressed together as Changmin still cups Yunho's face in his hands, Yunho is wearing that goofy smile he always wears and Changmin feels his heart stop at the sight.

“Let’s get married,” Changmin says.

* * *

Their wedding is small; just their family and closest friends.

As soon as Changmin had said yes to Yunho’s impromptu proposal, Yunho excitedly pulled Changmin out of the house to go shopping for tuxedos as they pick an official wedding date.

Yunho is jittery throughout the entire ceremony, anxiously waiting for when he could finally say “I do”.

“Oh God please don't tell me I lost the rings,” Kyuhyun mutters as he feels around his pockets.

Changmin just rolls his eyes and regrets not giving this role to Minho instead.

But Kyuhyun finds the rings, and Changmin laughs uncontrollably as he slips the ring onto Yunho's finger.

Yunho kisses Changmin and it's official.

They're married.

Changmin always believed that once he married Yunho, everything would feel the same.

He and Yunho had lived together for a while now, and they certainly didn't need marriage to prove how much they loved each other. But both of them were still a bit old fashioned, and never opposed to having a wedding.

But for Changmin, today felt so surreal. Today, all Changmin felt was pure bliss, as if marrying Yunho was the only thing in the world that Changmin needed.

“Getting married was the best spontaneous thing you’ve ever suggested,” Changmin whispers to him as the two of them were driven to the Shims’ house.

Since Yunho and Changmin weren’t having a fancy reception, Changmin’s parents offered to open their home for a nice dinner for all their guests.

“Does this mean you’ll trust any of my suggestions in the future?” Yunho teases.

“This is _definitely_ a one-time deal,” Changmin says, causing Yunho to pout.

“Changminnie,” Yunho whines.

“You’re not a puppy, Yunho,” Changmin replies. “That won’t work.”

“Will this?” Yunho asks before pulling Changmin in for a kiss.

Changmin licks his lips. “Debatable,” he says with a shrug, causing Yunho to laugh.

When the car pulls up to the Shims’ house, Yunho excitedly pulls Changmin out of the car and rushes to talk to their guests once more.

Despite the fact that Changmin and Yunho insisted that their guests don’t bring them any gifts, they get several pleasant surprises.

“You remember Ryeowook?” Kyuhyun asks as he leads them into the dining room.

In the center of the table is a round cake. It’s decorated with red and white frosting and Yunho’s and Changmin’s names are frosted onto it surrounded by hearts.

“Ryeowook made this cake,” Kyuhyun continues. “He wanted me to send his congrats. He was extremely happy for you two.”

Changmin places his hands over his mouth. “Oh my gosh,” he gasps.

“Breathe, Changmin,” Siwon says with a laugh. “If this is how you’re already reacting, maybe it’s not a good idea to show you everything else.”

Yunho’s eyebrows raise in surprise. “Everything else?” he repeats.

“This is a special day,” Hojun cuts in. “You think we were going to sit back and do nothing to help?”

“We...we told you not to do anything,” Changmin chokes.

Boa shrugs. “We didn’t listen.”

Yunho had always said that if he were to get married, he wouldn’t cry.

But their friends were making it hard to keep his promise.

“The two of you deserve the best,” Minho says, wrapping his arm around Changmin’s shoulders.

The Jung and Shim families approach the grooms now. Whatever their families were about to bring to them, they were sure they wouldn’t be able to handle it.

Changmin’s father hands him an envelope and smiles. “We all know you couldn’t plan a honeymoon with everything going on right now,” the older man explains. “But we still want you to have something nice, so everyone here pitched in. Those are two tickets to Jeju. We’ve arranged for both of you to spend a week there. You two deserve it.”

Tears fall from Changmin’s eyes before he can stop them, and his father pulls him in for a hug and holds him as tight as he can.

“Dad,” Changmin chokes. “Thank you so much.”

“Remember that we're your family,” his father whispers so that only Changmin can hear. “We're always going to be here to help you, so don't ever think you're alone in this. Okay?”

Changmin just nods, holding his father impossibly tighter.

“Thank you so much,” Yunho says, a lump forming in his throat. “Thank you to every single one of you. You’ve all made this day so much more beautiful. I...I might forget everything else in my life...but I’ll try so hard to remember this.”

* * *

While in Jeju, Changmin found himself taking pictures of every moment he could, even small things like Yunho eating breakfast, or the two of them shopping for souvenirs. Every second Changmin spent here with Yunho was special, and Changmin wanted to immortalize every one, for both himself and Yunho.

When they return to Seoul, Changmin has all those pictures printed and hung up at various locations around the apartment.

“So everywhere you look, you’ll have even more reminders of us,” Changmin explains.

“We never got our first dance at the wedding,” Yunho says as Changmin places the last picture in Yunho’s old study.

Changmin smiles. “You know how bad I am at it,” he mutters, looking to the floor.

Yunho shakes his head. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket, fiddling with it until a song starts to play.

“It’s our song,” Changmin points out with a laugh as Yunho places his phone on the desk.

“Dance with me,” Yunho says again. This time he doesn’t take no for an answer. He pulls Changmin towards him, causing a small yelp to come from him. Yunho’s hand rests on Changmin’s waist.

The two of them sway to the rhythm of the song. It’s uncoordinated; Changmin is shy and clumsy when it comes to dancing, but Yunho can tell that he’s trying hard, and leads Changmin as well as he can.

“You’re doing great, Changmin,” Yunho whispers.

Changmin knows he’s blushing, especially by the way Yunho laughs softly.

Yunho plants a kiss on Changmin’s cheek.

"If you can forget how bad I am at dancing, I'd really like that," Changmin jokes.

"That's definitely something on my list of things about you that I will never forget. I'll make sure of it," Yunho promises as he holds Changmin closer. "I just wish we could stay like this forever."

"Me too," Changmin replies. "Me too."

* * *

Some days, things are somewhat easy.

One morning, Yunho and Changmin wake up at the same time; it’s a rare occurrence, because Yunho always wakes up first, and Changmin is far from a morning person.

But when it happens this morning, Changmin smiles at Yunho, while Yunho just stares blankly.

“Who...who are you?” Yunho asks.

Changmin’s smile instantly falls, a pang in his chest forming. “I...I’m your husband,” he croaked.

“Oh,” Yunho simply replied.

Changmin bit his lip, trying hard not to show how hurt he was that Yunho had forgotten him. _This wasn’t Yunho’s fault,_ Changmin constantly reminds himself. The last thing he wanted to do was make Yunho feel guilty for being sick.

“I’m going to make breakfast for us, okay?” Changmin says cheerfully, slowly sitting up. “Just rest a little more.”

Yunho just nods, watching him cautiously as he leaves the room.

Changmin pretends not to notice.

When Changmin enters the kitchen, he takes a few shaky breaths.

He thought that by now, he'd be able to handle moments such as these, but the pain of Yunho not recognizing him hit Changmin at full force.

Grabbing various items from the fridge, Changmin places them onto the counter and gets to work.

He’s cutting tomatoes when two strong arms wrap around his waist.

“Good morning, Changmin,” Yunho says huskily, placing a kiss onto Changmin’s cheek.

“Good morning, Yunho,” Changmin replies. Yunho remembers him now and suddenly Changmin's mood improves dramatically.

Yunho rested his chin on Changmin’s shoulder. “I forgot you...I’m sorry.”

Changmin shakes his head. “It’s okay, Yunho.”

“No it's not,” Yunho argues, separating himself from Changmin with a sigh. “I can forget everything else in this world, but I don't want to forget you.”

Changmin turns around to face Yunho. “It's not your fault, Yunho.” He can see how broken up Yunho is about this. “Besides, you remember me now. That’s important.”

"But what if-"

"Doesn't matter," Changmin interrupts. "You shouldn't feel guilty for something that isn't your fault, and I'm not going to blame you for something you can't control."

"You looked so sad," Yunho points out.

Changmin shakes his head. "You did nothing wrong. You're going through something really hard, Yunho. I wish you would understand that." Changmin smiles. "Ever since you've been diagnosed, you've only been thinking about me. I'm asking you to be a little selfish. I chose to stay, I know what's going to happen to you, and I promised to stick with you anyway. I plan on keeping that promise no matter how hard it might be. You shouldn't have to go through this alone."

Yunho swallows the lump in his throat. "I don't know what I did to deserve you."

“Don’t say that, Yunho,” Changmin begs. “I love you and you love me. That’s all I care about.”

* * *

Sometimes it’s a nightmare.

One evening, they’re eating dinner and Changmin automatically knows something’s wrong.

Yunho’s not acting like himself. He was getting agitated, and nothing Changmin did could calm him down. When Yunho storms from the dinner table, Changmin chases him.

Yunho’s yelling, and not because of anything in particular. He’s frustrated, he’s tired, he’s scared, and for some reason his body can only express his feelings in pure rage.

“Maybe...maybe we should just go to bed,” Changmin finally suggests. He places his hand on Yunho’s arm.

He quickly learns that was a bad idea.

“Let go of me!” Yunho demands, swatting Changmin’s hand away.

Changmin draws back. “Okay, Yunho, I’m sorry,” he apologizes, holding his hands up in surrender. “I just... thought you were tired I…” he trails off, noticing how tense Yunho still looks.

“I’m not _tired_ ,” Yunho snaps. “I’m just sick of you treating me like a child!”

Changmin shook his head. “I’m not treating you like a child I’m just making sure you’re okay, please don’t be upset, Yunho. Please.” Changmin feels his eyes watering and can’t seem to control his sudden fear.

Yunho had never been so aggressive before, and Changmin wasn’t prepared to see him like this.

Changmin just wants to reach out and hold Yunho, but given the older one’s reaction to Changmin’s hand simply grazing him, Changmin decided against it.

Yunho, seeing Changmin frozen with indecision, huffs and storms out of the living room.

Changmin hears him stomping into the hallway and jumps when he hears the bedroom door slam shut.

Changmin suddenly feels tired, and collapses to his knees as tears fall from his eyes.

“This isn't Yunho's fault. This isn't Yunho's fault,” Changmin chants over and over until the trembles wrecking his body finally dissipate.

* * *

Changmin doesn’t remember falling asleep.

However, he wakes up in the middle of the living room, Yunho kneeling next to him as he gently shakes his shoulder.

“Changmin?” Yunho asks as Changmin opens his eyes. “Are you okay? What are you doing here?”

Changmin uncurls himself and slowly sits up. “Y-Yunho how…” he trails off. Changmin furrows his eyebrows as he sits up and looks around the room.

“You don’t look too good,” Yunho mentioned.

Changmin is sure of that. His head aches and his muscles feel tense. He can imagine he looks as bad as he feels, maybe even worse. “What time is it?”

Yunho shrugs. “I’m not sure. I woke up and saw you weren’t in bed. Changmin, what happened?”

Changmin rubs his eyes. Changmin is trying hard to understand what’s going on before memories of what happened just a few hours ago rush back into his head.

He glanced at Yunho, noticing he was still wearing that concerned look on his face. Yunho must not remember what happened last night, and Changmin refuses to remind him.

“I...I don’t know,” Changmin stutters. He’s too tired to come up with a good excuse.

“You must be exhausted,” Yunho says, placing his hand on Changmin’s back.

Changmin briefly tenses at the touch, and he’s relieved to see that Yunho didn’t notice.

Yunho helps Changmin to his feet. “Sleeping on the bed will be better for you,” he says.

Changmin nods, allowing himself to be led to the bedroom.

“Are you okay, Changminnie?” Yunho asks as they lay in bed.

“I’m fine,” Changmin says. “I must have been more tired than I thought.”

Yunho freezes. "I found you laying in the middle of the living room,” he points out. “‘Tired’ is definitely not the right word to describe it.”

Changmin seems to sink further into the bed. “I’m really tired,” he mutters. He’s silently begging Yunho to drop the conversation, and thankfully, Yunho understands.

Yunho runs his fingers through Changmin’s hair; Changmin always seemed to fall asleep instantly with that. “Get some rest, Changmin,” he whispered. “I love you.”

Changmin closed his eyes. “I love you too, Yunho,” he replies, before he drifts off into a deep sleep.

* * *

Changmin sighs, rolling his eyes. “I'm fine, Yunho,” he insists.

“You're so tired, Minnie,” Yunho points out. “I've noticed. It's a miracle you're even standing right now.”

Changmin just groans in response. As much as he would hate to agree with Yunho right now, he was right. Changmin was so tired and dizzy. Sleep was a rare occurrence now and he felt like he could collapse at any second.

But admitting how he felt right wasn't what was going to help Yunho.

Changmin turns to Kyuhyun with an accusatory glare. “This was your idea?”

Kyuhyun shakes his head. “Nope,” he answers. “It's Yunho's, but I'm definitely agreeing with him no matter how pissed off at me you get.” He smiles. “C'mon. It'll be fun. We'll have Minho and Siwon over too. You have to enjoy me as much as possible before I'm a married man.”

Changmin remains silent.

“You need a break from me, Changmin,” Yunho says. It almost sounds like he's begging. “I'm worried about you. If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for me. It kills me how worn out you are.”

Yunho pouts and Changmin looks away.

“And Yunho won't be left alone,” Kyuhyun quickly reminds him. Yunho's sister was already on her way. Changmin already knows that, and has no doubt that Yunho’s sister would be the next best person to care for Yunho.

But Changmin couldn’t convince himself to just leave Yunho.

“You could use some time outside of the house,” Yunho urges.

"I _do_ spend time outside the house," Changmin argues weakly.

Kyuhyun scoffs. "Yeah," he says. "At work. That doesn't count."

Changmin sighs again. He realizes that there's no way he can escape this, and spending any more time arguing would just be a waste of energy that Changmin didn't have. "Okay, okay,” he resigns. “I'll go just...gimme some time to pack my stuff.”

Kyuhyun and Yunho both cheer, causing Changmin to roll his eyes.

A few hours later, and Changmin reluctantly finds himself in Kyuhyun's apartment.

“We told you not to do this alone,” Kyuhyun says, the two of them sitting on the couch.

Changmin feels as if he’s being scolded like a small child. "Yunho isn't a burden."

"I'm not saying he is," Kyuhyun replies. “But...You’re wearing yourself thin. You _need_ a break.”

“I _need_ to take care of Yunho.”

“Not by yourself,” Kyuhyun immediately says. “Please don't do this by yourself.”

Changmin bites his lip.

"Yunho's dementia is still in the early stages and you're already overworking yourself," Kyuhyun points out. "How bad are you gonna be when he's totally dependent?"

Changmin bites his lip. He has no idea how to answer Kyuhyun’s question, and he’s sure he doesn’t want to come up with one.

"Yunho said he found you passed out in the living room," Kyuhyun adds.

Changmin shakes his head. "That's not...he doesn't know what happened."

Kyuhyun furrows his eyebrows. "What...what are you talking about?"

Changmin pauses. He doesn't really know what he was talking about either. "I...Yunho doesn't remember that night too well and…"

"What happened, Changmin?"

"Yunho got...angry and-"

"He didn't hit you, did he?" Kyuhyun jumps, his eyes widening.

Changmin shakes his head. "No. No, Yunho never hurt me he just…-" he shivers a little "-he just kept yelling at me."

Kyuhyun sighs. "Changmin-"

"It wasn't his fault," Changmin quickly defends. "The doctor warned us about this and I thought I would be prepared for it." Changmin plays with his fingers. "I've never seen Yunho so angry before so after he left I just…just froze. The next thing I remember is Yunho waking me up."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Kyuhyun says, giving a sympathetic look. "What you're doing… it's so hard, and you're doing it alone."

"Yunho needs me," Changmin points out. "It's hard but not all the time, anyway. Some days go really smoothly without problems."

"But some days stress you out so much that you cry yourself to sleep," Kyuhyun says.

"Not every time."

“Doesn’t make us worry any less about you,” Kyuhyun counters. “Changmin, you’re my best friend, and I want you to be okay. You’re allowed to think about your wellbeing too. You can’t help Yunho until you can help yourself. At least think about that.”

* * *

Changmin is grateful at how much Yunho and Kyuhyun worry about him.

However, their good deed seems to have no value.

The whole point was to give Changmin some rest from playing the caretaker all the time, but Changmin found himself being more worried about Yunho than ever before.

Jihye was the one who was to take Changmin’s place for a few days. But he did leave Jihye specific instructions that included contacting him if anything went wrong.

But Changmin spent the night tossing and turning, constantly checking his phone for any alerts from Jihye or even Yunho himself.

When the sun rises, Changmin feels even more worn out than before.

He feels as if he had just come back from trekking the desert for days, and Changmin can’t figure out if he’s just tired or hungry.

He figures it’s the latter, and throws his legs over the edge of the bed and slowly stands up.  

Despite that, his vision still swims as he stands, and Changmin instantly regrets getting out of bed.

He squeezes his eyes shut and takes a few breaths, hoping his head would stop spinning soon.

Changmin makes his way into the kitchen when he's sure he can walk in a straight line, and sees it empty. Kyuhyun is definitely still asleep, and Changmin figures he could ignore the pounding in his head and make a nice breakfast for his friend to wake up to.

Kyuhyun is a terrible cook. Yunho always teased him about that. If Changmin, Seohyun, or Kyuhyun's mom didn't cook for Kyuhyun, he usually relied on take-out and frozen meals.

"My own personal chef," a voice behind Changmin said, causing him to jump and turn around.

"Kyuhyun!" he exclaims, placing a hand on his beating chest. "You scared me."

"I couldn't have scared you _that_ much," he replies.

Changmin chuckles. "Have you _seen_ the way you look in the mornings?" he teases. "It's enough to scare anyone."

"Ha….ha," Kyuhyun dryly replies. His expression softens, however, as he takes in Changmin's appearance. "Did you...did you sleep at all last night?"

Changmin suddenly feels naked and exposed. Kyuhyun looks at him with all the worry and sympathy in the world. He wants Kyuhyun to stop looking at him like that because now all Changmin wants to do is run away and hide. "What do you mean?" he finally asks.

"I mean you look like you didn't sleep at all last night," Kyuhyun says. He notices the dark circles under Changmin's eyes and how lethargic he seems. “You don’t have to make breakfast, Changmin. I brought you here so you wouldn’t feel the need to take care of anyone.”

Changmin chuckles. “I’m fine, Kyu.”

“Yeah, and you’ll be even better if you get some rest,” Kyuhyun replies. "I'm gonna get you something to drink first.”

"I didn't know you knew how to use a coffee maker," Changmin says.

"I'm trying to take care of you and your first instinct is to roast me?" Kyuhyun asks. "Also, no coffee for you. I'm definitely not going to give you something that was invented to keep you from sleeping."

Changmin pouts. Maybe he could sneak a cup of coffee later.

Kyuhyun opens his fridge, rummaging through the contents before he settled on pouring Changmin a glass of juice. “Let’s get you to the couch,” Kyuhyun commands.

Changmin doesn’t argue, and that speaks volumes to Kyuhyun.

However, Changmin barely takes a step before he falls to his knees.

“Changmin!” Kyuhyun exclaims, dropping the cup of juice in surprise. He gets down on his knees and meets the dazed look in Changmin’s eyes. “Changmin?”

“I don’t...feel well,” Changmin mutters.

Changmin hears Kyuhyun call his name once more, and remembers nothing more.

* * *

As Changmin wakes up, a faint medicinal smell enters his nostrils and his head feels like a block of lead.

“Changmin?” a familiar voice said.

Changmin groaned. He didn't want to open his eyes. He just wanted to go back to sleep until he felt like a human again. But another part of him wanted to know what was going on, so, slowly, he forces his eyes open.

When his vision clears, he can finally put together that he was in a hospital. His eyes roam the room.

“Kyuhyun?” he mutters, squinting at the figure sitting at his bedside.

“Hey,” Kyuhyun replied.

“Wh-what happened?” Changmin rubs at his eyes, feeling the tug of an IV in the crook of his elbow.

"You face planted in my living room," Kyuhyun answers. His reply almost seems aggressive, and Changmin can't help but shrink back at it.

Kyuhyun must have noticed this, because he sighs and shakes his head. "I was just worried about you, Chwang."

Changmin bites his lip.

“And _don’t_ say you’re fine, because you’re definitely not,” Kyuhyun says before Changmin can even speak.

“I just...remember getting dizzy all of a sudden,” Changmin mutters. “I didn’t realize…”

Kyuhyun wants to say something along the lines of _I told you so,_ but he can see that Changmin has face enough punishment already. “How are you feeling now?” Kyuhyun asks instead, gently holding Changmin’s hand.

Changmin groans. “Really tired."

“The doctor has you on a sedative,” Kyuhyun explains. “You’ll probably be falling back to sleep in a few minutes.”

“How long have I been asleep?”

Kyuhyun reaches for his phone on the bedside table. “Almost eleven hours.”

“Yunho?” Changmin asks.

Kyuhyun was expecting Changmin to ask about Yunho. “He’s fine. He...doesn’t know about this yet.”

“Good,” Changmin replies. His eyes slowly slipped closed, and Kyuhyun wasn’t sure if it was due to relief or the sedative.

“Changmin?”

“Don’t tell him,” Changmin pleads. “He doesn’t need this extra stress. I'll be fine.”

Kyuhyun nods. He moves his hand to Changmin’s hair. His friend’s words were becoming slurred, and Kyuhyun knew Changmin would be asleep again in a few moments.

“Get some sleep, Changmin,” Kyuhyun whispers.

* * *

“Jihye?”

Yunho slowly walks into the kitchen, seeing his sister on the phone with somebody.

Jihye glances at him before continuing her conversation. “Thanks. Keep me posted, okay?”

Jihye ends the call and looks to Yunho again, smiling at him this time.

“Hey, Yunho,” she greets him. She’s trying not to make her voice wobble, but by the way Yunho’s face drops, she can tell wasn’t successful.

“What’s wrong?” Yunho asks, as if Yunho has a sixth sense for when something bad has happened.

Jihye shakes her head. “Nothing, Yunho,” she replies. “Did you still want to go out? We can go downtown and walk around.”

"Something's wrong." Yunho wasn't going to just let that go. "What's wrong?"

Jihye sighs. "Yunho…"

"Is it Mom and Dad?" Yunho guesses. "Is it Changmin?"

Jihye hesitates to answer, but Yunho can see right through her.

"It's Changmin, isn't it?" He asks again. "What happened? Is something wrong?"

Jihye smiles. "He's fine, Yunho. He'll be back home tomorrow just like he said."

"Stop it," Yunho demanded. "Just...stop it. I'm  not an idiot. Tell me the truth."

Jihye swallows. "Changmin's...in the hospital right now."

Yunho feels the breath knocked out of him, and he grabs onto the counter to prevent himself from falling.

“He’s okay!” Jihye clarified. “He fainted at Kyuhyun’s apartment. But he’s fine.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jihye swallowed. “Changmin...didn’t want us to…”

“That’s not an excuse!” Yunho yelled. “Changmin is _my_ husband, he’s _my_ responsibility! I should know if something’s wrong with him!”

“Yunho...yesterday...you didn’t even remember who Changmin was.” Jihye didn’t mean to sound harsh; she hates the way Yunho’s face falls and wishes she could take her words back

“I...I remember him _now_ ,” Yunho falls back. All the power in him is suddenly stripped away and he feels completely helpless. He sighs. “I...I’m not mad at you, Jihye I just…”

“You shouldn’t be mad at yourself, either,” Jihye quickly said.

“My dementia is still in the early stages,” Yunho points out. “But when it gets worse...I’ll be…” he sighs, feeling his eyes water. “There’s going to be a time when I can’t ever help Changmin. I’ll be practically useless to him and I hate that.”

“Yunho-”

“I _need_ to be there for him as much as possible _now_ ,” Yunho continues. “While I still can. I need to be there for him.” Yunho falls to his knees. “Please take me to him. I need to see him.”

* * *

 

When Changmin wakes up again, he feels so much better.

He’s definitely more alert, and feels his limbs moving more freely. Changmin can guess that sometime during his sleep, he transitioned from his drug-induced sleep to a natural one.

“Changmin?”

Changmin freezes, hoping the residual effects of the sedative might include hallucinations.

He opens his eyes and sees Yunho sitting at his bedside.

“Hey,” Yunho says casually. He’s smiling, but Changmin can see right through it.

And Changmin can’t get himself to figure out what to say.

Yunho sighs, placing his hand on Changmin’s cheek. “I did this,” he says. “I’m sorry.”

Changmin shakes his head. “Yunho, this isn’t your fault.” And this is exactly why he didn’t want Yunho finding out about this; of course Yunho would automatically assume this was all his fault.

“The doctor said you were exhausted,” Yunho says. “Being with me has been really hard on you, hasn’t it?”

“Yunho, please,” Changmin replies. “You don’t understand. I was the one that stopped taking care of myself. This isn't your fault."

"I should have noticed something was wrong sooner," Yungo insists.

"I didn't want you to," Changmin counters. "Please, Yunho. You've been blaming yourself for everything that can possibly go wrong. None of this has been your fault."

"How are you feeling now?" Yunho asks. He was desperate to change the subject.

"I'm fine," Changmin answers with a nod. "I feel a lot better. I just needed a little sleep."

'A little sleep' was an equivalent of 16 hours, but Yunho was glad Changmin was able to get them anyway.

He grabbed Changmin's hand. "I was so scared when I found out you were here."

Changmin smiles. "Don't be," he says, giving Yunho's hand a reassuring squeeze. "I'm fine."

* * *

 

"Tell me how we met," Yunho says one night. The two of them were just laying in bed after Yunho requested a cuddle session.

It had been a stressful day for the both of them; Changmin was going back to work for the first time after coming home from the hospital, and Yunho had spent all day worrying about him until he got back.

"Did you-"

"No," Yunho answers, already knowing what Changmin would be concerned about. "I just want to hear you talk about it."

Changmin chuckles. "It was at the university," he begins. "You ran into me and spilled your stupid hot chocolate all over me. I almost killed you on the spot."

Yunho laughs. "You were so flustered," he says. "It was cute."

"I was on my way to take an exam," Changmin reminds him. "I was panicking."

"Did you...did you pass your exam though?" Yunho asks.

Changmin did, and Yunho knows Changmin did, but this must be a detail that Yunho can't seem to remember.

"Highest score in the class," Changmin answers proudly.

"So I gave you good luck," Yunho says confidently.

"More like an aneurysm," Changmin replies as he rolls his eyes.

"You get aneurysms because you worry too much," Yunho says. "You panic all the time."

"You try being married to someone who can somehow sprain his ankle while moonwalking."

There's a pause, and Changmin notices Yunho's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Yunho must have forgotten about that instance; an instance Changmin took every opportunity to tease him about.

Changmin laughs, although it's half-hearted. "You sprained your ankle moonwalking in the living room two years ago," he explains. "Though I still don't understand how that could have happened."

"Oh," Yunho replies. He chuckles. "I...I don't-"

"It's okay," Changmin says softly. "It was pretty embarrassing, so it's probably best that you don't remember it anyway."

Yunho and Changmin laugh at that, but Yunho can see the residual hurt in Changmin's eyes.

"Changmin," Yunho suddenly says. "Can you do me a favor?"

Changmin smiles. "Anything you want, Yunho."

Yunho doesn't say anything yet, he simply holds Changmin tighter.

"Yunho?"

"Can you tell me stories every night?" Yunho finally asks. "About us, I mean.

Changmin nods. "Of course I will," he promises.

* * *

 

"It's okay, Yunho," Changmin says softly. "Let me do it, okay?"

Yunho releases a choked sob, but nods at Changmin's offer.

Changmin walked in to Yunho having a breakdown in the middle of their bedroom, his fingers tangled within his shoelaces. It didn't take Changmin long to figure out the problem.

Changmin kneeled down and took a hold of Yunho's laces, tying them slowly as Yunho watched silently.

"There," Changmin says when he's done. "All finished." He brings his hand to Yunho's face and wipes away the remainder of his tears. "Are you feeling better?"

Yunho nods. "Thank you," he croaks, his voice is thick with shame.

"Anytime," Changmin replies. "I'm always here to help you, okay? So if you need help with something just call for me."

Yunho nods again. He's avoiding Changmin's gaze now, looking to the floor.

Changmin bites his lip. "Let's finish getting ready. Want me to comb your hair?" He helps Yunho to stand.

"Where are we going?" Yunho asks.

"To my parents house for dinner," Changmin answers. He had already told Yunho of these plans several times already, but he has no problem repeating it.

"Oh," Yunho simply replies. That seems to be his default response anytime Changmin reminds him of something now.

"Yeah. My mom really misses your handsome face," Changmin adds, instantly brightening Yunho's mood. "Let's finish getting ready, okay? My sisters will be there too, it'll be really fun."

* * *

 

Yunho's getting worse, Changmin doesn't want to believe it, but it's true.

Yunho forgets how to turn on their shower.

Changmin has to remind Yunho how to get around their apartment; which room is their bedroom, how to get to the kitchen, and where Yunho's precious snacks are.

Sometimes, when Yunho is left alone for just a few seconds, he'll wander off, leaving the front door open as the only evidence of his escape.

Thankfully, he never goes far before Changmin finds him.

Then finally, Yunho forgets him, and this time, the memories don’t come back.

"I'm not sending Yunho away!" Changmin yells at his parents, furious that they would even speak about the idea.

"Changmin, please," his mother begged. "Yunho's only going to get worse from here. You need to realize that."

"No!" Changmin argues. "I love Yunho I'm not abandoning him!"

"We love Yunho too," Changmin's father says. "We love him like he was our own son. You know that."

"So if I was the one with dementia, you all would have sent me away at the first sign of decline." Changmin scoffs. "That's reassuring."

Changmin's mother shakes her head as tears fall down her face. "That's not it," she sobs. "That's not it at all."

"We want what's best for you _and_ Yunho," his father reasons. "But what's best sometimes isn't going to make everyone happy." He sighs, seeing his son is still so closed off. "What Yunho needs is a controlled environment and constant watch; that's not something you can guarantee him all by yourself."

“His family would _never_ agree to this,” Changmin replies.

His father sighs. “His family has been talking to us about this for weeks now,” he informs.

“You’re lying,” he accuses, but there’s a small part of his brain asking, _why would they lie, though?_

“It wasn’t easy for them either,” Changmin’s mom says. “But they realize that Yunho needs more help than you can give.”

Changmin shakes his head. "I promised to be the one to help him," he says. He's no longer shouting; his aggressive demeanor is replaced with one of helplessness. "I'm not gonna break that promise to him; I’m not going to just give up on him."

Changmin's parents realize what's going through their son's mind now. Taking care of Yunho wasn't just because Changmin's love for him was blinding his reasoning. It was because he felt that Yunho's wellbeing was his responsibility and his alone.

"Changmin," his mother said. She says his name so gentle, as if any change in volume will make her son shatter. She grabs his hands. "You aren't giving up on Yunho by getting him professional help. You have been so strong ever since you found out about Yunho's dementia. I don't know how I would be able to handle it if your father had the same illness. But you need to realize that you’re only human, and as much as you want to do everything for Yunho, you just can't." She brought a hand to Changmin's face and wiped his tears away. "Please accept help, Changmin. For all of our sakes.”

There's silence. Changmin knows his parents are right, but verbally admitting that meant sending Yunho away, and Changmin wasn't ready for that.

He doesn't think he'll ever be.

“Changmin,” his dad cut in. “We can take baby steps, okay? We can start by hiring a nurse or a caretaker that stays with Yunho all day at home. Would that be something you’d be willing to try?”

Changmin bites his lip. Bringing in a caretaker would allow for Yunho to stay at their apartment.

“Okay,” Changmin finally forces out.

His mother pulls him into a hug, and Changmin melts in his mother’s hold.

* * *

 

Yunho adjusts much better than Changmin predicted.

His nurse is a doe-eyed woman named Yoona and Yunho falls in love with her right away. It makes sense; Yunho never had problems making friends with people, and it seemed that Yoona had the same characteristic.

When Changmin comes home from work one evening, Yunho and Yoona are sitting at the dining table. Yunho is putting a puzzle together.

“Oh look, Yunho!” Yoona says excitedly. “Changmin’s home.”

Yunho’s attention moves from the puzzle to Changmin. His eyes brighten in excitement. “Hi, Changmin,” he greets with a smile. “Have you met my friend, Yoona?”

Changmin takes a seat at the table as well. “I have,” he answers. “She’s really cool.”

Yunho hums and continues working on his puzzle.

Changmin and Yoona share a look.

“I’ll be right back,” Changmin tells Yunho. “Yoona and I need to talk for a minute.”

“Okay,” Yunho replies. “I’m almost done with my puzzle.”

Yoona and Changmin walk into the living room. They both take a seat on the couch.

“How was he today?” Changmin asks.

“Things were good for the most part,” Yoona begins. “Yunho wanted to go to the park, so we were there for a few hours. He got ice cream. He did have an outburst about two hours ago, but we got through it.”

Changmin nodded. “What was wrong with him?"

Yoona bites her lip. "He didn't want to take his medication," she explains. "But like I said, we worked through it. He was just little grumpy and tired."

"You're doing really well with him," Changmin says. "Thank you for helping us. He really likes you."

“Yunho’s really fun to be around,” Yoona replies.

Changmin knows how true that is. Yunho, even now, is still so funny and sweet. Even if Yunho doesn’t remember that Changmin is his husband, he’s still always happy to see Changmin. When Yunho had first been diagnosed with dementia, Changmin was bitter and scared about the whole situation.

Now, Changmin was still upset about it, but he was grateful of the fact that there were elements of Yunho that still remained, and Changmin would hold onto them tightly for as long as he could.

“He really is,” Changmin replies with a smile.

“Oh!” Yunho exclaims from the dining room. “I’m done!”

Changmin and Yoona share a glance before heading to the dining room.

* * *

 

Yunho loves to be told stories before bed. So every night, after Yoona leaves and they’ve had dinner, Changmin takes Yunho to bed and tells him a story. Sometimes, Changmin just reads a nice story that he knows Yunho would enjoy.

Most nights, however, Changmin would tell him stories about the two of them. He remembered making a promise to Yunho to tell him stories the two of them shared. Even though Yunho forgot about his request, Changmin still felt the need to honor it.

Tonight, he’s telling Yunho about the time when the two of them thought someone was breaking into their apartment. Changmin thought it was so romantic how protective Yunho was that night. When they finally confronted the intruder, the only potential burglar they encountered was just a very angry and determined racoon.

But when Changmin tells Yunho this story, he tells Yunho a story of a prince and a knight. Someone was trying to infiltrate the castle, and the knight grabbed his sword and heroically saved the prince and his castle from pirates trying to kidnap him.

Changmin felt the story was kind of stupid, but Yunho was so sucked into the story, he couldn’t get himself to stop.

“It’s a happy ending,” Yunho says with a smile as Changmin finishes.

“That’s what you and I have a lot in common.” Changmin replies with a smile. “We both like stories with happy endings.”

Yunho snuggles under his blanket. “Is that why we’re best friends?” he asks. “Because we like happy endings?”

Changmin nods, suddenly losing his voice as he eyes water. “Yeah,” he finally answers. “Something like that.”

Yunho sighs in contentment with that answer. “That knight was really brave,” he muttered. “I want to be like him.”

 _You are the knight_ , Changmin says in his mind. He smiles, using his fingers to brush Yunho's hair from his face. "The knight was brave because he loves the prince and wanted to protect him."

"Does the prince love the knight back?" Yunho asks.

"He loves him very much," Changmin says without hesitation.

"Are the knight and prince still happy?" Yunho asks.

Changmin swallows. "The knight...got...sick so it was hard for them at first," he begins. "But they still love each other, the prince knows that."

Yunho's facial expression fell. "He's sick?" he asks. "Will the knight die?"

Changmin feels himself choking. "Yunho…" he swallows. He can't talk about Yunho dying, especially with how casually Yunho was speaking about it. "We all die, you know?" he finally says. "What's important is that we all cherish the time we have with each other."

"Is the prince doing that?" Yunho asks.

Changmin nods again. "He spends every minute he can with his knight."

"That's good," Yunho says. "I hope the knight and the prince can get married. They'd be really happy."

"Your parents are coming over tomorrow," Changmin says abruptly. He really can't handle Yunho talking about this anymore. The ache in his chest just grows and grows and he feels like if he didn't change the subject soon he would collapse right there. "You should go to sleep now. They want to come early so they can help you get ready and take you out."

Yunho nods. "Okay," he says.

Changmin adjusts Yunho's blanket. "Good night, Yunho."

"Good night, Changminnie," Yunho replies as he closes his eyes.

Changmin freezes at the words. Yunho hasn't called him 'Changminnie' ever since he forgot who Changmin was.

 _It was probably a slip of the tongue,_ Changmin thinks.

He gets up to turn off the lights before returning to bed. Yunho is already fast asleep, and Changmin wishes he could do the same. Instead, he stays awake, seeing the silhouette of Yunho in the darkness, wishing his knight would wake up and remember him as his prince.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I hoped you all liked it! I'm trying different writing styles/genres
> 
> Also, I have a second ending written for this story; more angsty and sad but happy in a twisted way. Should I post the second ending or have I made you sad enough?


	2. Second Ending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took much longer before I finally posted this. 
> 
> Without going into so many details, in the span of a week, I lost my car, my job, and almost got kicked out of my home. There are other events that happened throughout the month that made it hard, but that week was just brutal in itself. I've been trying to put myself back together again since then, but I haven't been successful. I'm still a mess
> 
> I'm going on a trip and wanted this chapter to be posted before I left. Hopefully this trip will help me a little, but for now, here's the second ending!

"You've been a bad husband to Seohyun," Changmin accuses.

_ "Excuse me?"  _ Kyuhyun replies. 

Changmin puts his phone between his shoulder and ear and uses his free hands to help Yunho into his shirt. "You heard me," he continues. "You're so busy worrying about me and Yunho that you've neglected your wife."

Kyuhyun sputters over the phone, Changmin's words have left Kyuhyun speechless. 

"Take her out on a date," Changmin recommends with a smile. He looks over Yunho's outfit and is satisfied with the results. 

_ "Did Seohyun put you up to this?"  _ Kyuhyun asks.

"She didn't have to," Changmin answers. "You've spent so much time checking on me I don't get how you have any time for Seohyun. Look, if one day, she decides to leave you, I'll help her pack."

Changmin fixes Yunho's hair. It's gotten pretty long, and Changmin makes a mental note to make a hair appointment for him.

"Take her out on a date and make her feel special or something," Changmin suggests. "I shouldn't be the one putting a wedge between you and your wife."

_ "But Seohyun's been cool with this,"  _ Kyuhyun explains.  _ "You’re not putting a wedge anywhere. She totally understands." _

"I know she does," Changmin replies. "But  _ I'm  _ personally asking you to pretend I don't exist this weekend. Spend your whole time spoiling Seohyun. Lord knows she deserves it." 

Kyuhyun hums in agreement.

"I'll know you'll miss hearing my beautiful voice and miss seeing my handsome face," Changmin adds. "But I hope you can survive a couple of days without them."

_ "Chwang I love how much higher your confidence got over the years,"  _ he teases.  _ "But...thanks buddy. I love Seohyun so much and…"  _ he trails off with a sigh.

"I know," Changmin says with a smile. "And she knows that too. But she's your priority now; not your job, and definitely not me."

_ "But if something happens and you do end up needing me-" _

"I'll call you as soon as possible," Changmin promises. "Yunho and I are going to the zoo. We watched Lion King a couple of nights ago and he talked about it all night, so I thought this would be nice."

_ "You're a good man, Changmin." _

"I know," he replies happily.

_ "Modest too,"  _ Kyuhyun teases.  _ "Have fun. And send me pictures...you know...after my weekend ban from you is over." _

* * *

“Did you have fun today?” Changmin asks Yunho as the two of them crawl into bed.

Yunho smiles. “Yes,” he answers. “Thank you, Changmin.” He squeezes the Bambi plushie that Changmin had bought for him at the zoo.

Overall, Changmin could say that the day went great. They spent a few hours at the zoo, where Changmin bought Yunho his new stuffed animal, before eating at one of Yunho’s favorite restaurants. Changmin loved that he had an entire day of Yunho all to himself.

“Do you want me to tell you a story before you go to sleep?” Changmin offers, brushing Yunho’s hair out of his eyes.

Yunho nods again.

Tonight, Changmin’s bedtime story is about a shy editor and a hotshot lawyer who fall in love. The lawyer was always dancing, it was how the editor knew he was in a good mood. The editor hated dancing. He knew how terrible he was at it and it always felt like he had two left feet.

The lawyer did everything he could to get the editor to dance with him, but failed every time.

However, the lawyer was very determined. 

"Did they get their dance?" Yunho asks, his eyes beaming with curiosity. He squeezed the stuffed Bambi once more.

Changmin nodded. “One night, they went to the river walk. It was really dark and not a lot of people were around.” Changmin chuckles. “The lawyer started playing their favorite song, and for some reason the editor just...melted into his arms, I guess.”

“What song was it?” Yunho asked, propping his head with his hand. “It had to be a really special song if the editor was finally willing to dance to it.”

Changmin bites his lip. They had both agreed on “their song” a year after they met. But Changmin hasn’t been able to listen to that song. The last time he did was after the two of them came back from their honeymoon. Changmin couldn’t bear the thought of listening to it anymore. There were too many memories associated with it; memories that Yunho no longer has.

But maybe tonight, Changmin could make an exception.

“Would you like to hear it?” Changmin asks.

Yunho nods excitedly, his eyes widening in anticipation.

Changmin grabs his phone from off the bedside table. 

The song starts playing, and for a few seconds, the two of them just listen in silence. 

Changmin feels himself getting emotional only a few seconds after the song starts. He bites his lip to hold back his tears and starts to fiddle with one of Bambi’s antlers. Maybe the best choice was to tune out from everything for the next three minutes.

But then it happens.

"Changminnie," Yunho mutters. 

Changmin freezes as Yunho uses his nickname. 

His head snaps up in surprise as he looks to Yunho once more. Changmin’s eyes are wide in shock when he realizes what’s happening.

"It's our song," Yunho continues, leaving Changmin absolutely breathless. "You were so cute when you first heard this song. I think you listened to it all day."

There's a light in Yunho's eyes that Changmin hasn't seen in a long time. This time, Yunho is looking at Changmin, not as his friend that tells him stories or buys him desserts, but as his lover and other half.

Changmin misses that look.

Changmin feels his throat close up at Yunho's revelation. "Yunho," he finally gasps.

"Oh Changmin," Yunho whispers as he brings his hand to Changmin's cheek, wiping away tears that the younger one didn't even know he was shedding. "Don't cry, baby. I didn't mean to upset you I-"

"No, Yunho," Changmin cuts off. "I'm happy. I'm just really happy. You remember our song."

Yunho smiles, although there's still a sad look in his eyes. "How could I forget it?" he teases. "I know how much you love this song."

Changmin swallows. 

Yunho leans over and kisses Changmin on the lips. "I'm sorry," Yunho apologizes once they separate. "You've been going through hard times, haven't you?"

Changmin shakes his head. "Yunho. It's okay. You don't need to be worrying right now. Let's just-" he sighs "-let's just stay like this tonight, okay?"

Yunho nods, moving his arms around Changmin and pulling him closer. 

"Yunho," Changmin mutters as his face is buried in the older one's chest. He's fiddling with the fabric of Yunho's shirt. "I miss you." 

"I'm right here, Changmin," Yunho whispers. Changmin can hear the hint of confusion in Yunho’s voice. "I always will be."

And Changmin knew that Yunho was right; he’s right here, and always has been. But having Yunho remember simple things like their favorite song made it seem as if Yunho was whole again.

Changmin squeezes his eyes shut. For the first time in a long time, everything feels so normal. Changmin can’t tell if this is just a very realistic dream or if this is actually happening, but really, he doesn’t care.

Instead, he chooses to cherish this moment.

Because for the first time in a long time, all Changmin can feel is real peace.

* * *

"He remembered you?" Yoona asks. She had arrived the next morning, and Changmin excitedly recounted the events of last night to her.

Changmin nods. "He knew who I was," he says. "Like, not just as his friend that tells him stories or brings him cupcakes but he  _ actually  _ remembered me; remembered  _ us _ ." He’s gesturing wildly, his eyes wide in excitement. He had been jittery all morning, and Changmin was pretty sure he looked like a hyperactive child at the moment. But he’d been so anxious to tell Yoona the good news, and it felt so good to finally narrate what happened.

"That actually makes sense," Yoona replies. "There  _ have _ been observations that alzheimer patients are able to recall certain memories tied to their favorite songs. Maybe that's what happened with Yunho last night."

Changmin sighs. There's a big smile on his face, and Yoona's heart flutters at the sight. She's never seen him so happy and carefree. She had always known that Changmin loves Yunho with everything he had, but the way Changmin was acting right now confirmed it even further. Yunho remembering him probably made Changmin feel as if they were on their second honeymoon. Changmin deserved that happiness, and Yoona wishes he could have this more often.

"I wish you could have seen it," Changmin continues. "It felt like...it was just so great. I had  _ all _ of Yunho last night, I think. Not just fragments."

"You had a major breakthrough, Changmin," Yoona says. "I'm so happy for you."

"He didn't remember me when we woke up, though," Changmin admits with a nervous laugh. "But it still felt so  _ good _ . I just…" he trails off with another sigh. "For that period of time everything felt so... _ normal _ ."

Changmin knew he probably looked ridiculous, but he couldn't help himself. Yunho's memories coming back - even for just a brief moment - meant so much to Changmin. He'd tell everyone about it until his throat was sore. 

"Maybe you found the key to Yunho's memories," Yoona replies. "Make a playlist of all the songs that meant a lot to Yunho and play it when you're with him. It might make a big difference."

* * *

 

Changmin does just that.

It took him two days to create the perfect playlist for Yunho, but when he finally accomplishes it, Changmin feels as if he's on the top of the world. 

Every evening when he comes home, he plays Yunho's favorite songs and waits for a reaction.

Some nights, it doesn't work. Yunho listens to the songs as if it's the first time he had ever heard them. But Changmin can see how happy the music makes Yunho, so Changmin tries to mirror that happiness and not let his disappointment become obvious. 

But some nights, it works like a charm. Changmin plays the music, and Yunho reminisces about whatever random memory he might have associated with that song.

_ "Oh my gosh, Changmin,"  _ he'd gasp.  _ "Remember when we went to Japan together and stayed at that creepy hotel?" _

_ "Remember when you and I went shopping for my mom's birthday and you started yelling at me because I couldn't make up my mind on what to get…you were also really hungry, I think." _

_ "Wow, Changmin,"  _ Yunho laughed uncontrollably.  _ "Remember when we went to the beach and something brushed against your leg? And your first thought was that a shark was trying to eat you?" _

_ “Changmin, remember our first kiss?” _

It turns into Yunho being the one to tell Changmin bedtime stories sometimes, but Changmin loves it either way. Hearing Yunho speak about the memories he held dear made Changmin ecstatic.

He turns himself over, seeing Yunho already falling asleep and can’t help but smile.

Changmin places a kiss on Yunho’s forehead and bids him a good night.

Changmin knew how much he was hurting himself.

Yunho would wake up tomorrow, and everything was back to their new definition of “normal”; Yunho’s memories would leave him as quickly as they came, and Changmin was left devastated everytime.

But it was worth it, wasn’t it? It shouldn’t matter how short Yunho’s memories lasted, Changmin was still happy that it even happened.

That was enough for him.

* * *

"You have to leave?" Yunho asks sadly as he watches Changmin get ready for work. He’s sitting on the bed as Changmin clumsily throws on a shirt.

Changmin stops, walking over to Yunho. "Yeah," he says with a nod. "I have to go to work. But I'll be back in the evening, as always."

Yunho smiles at the promise. "Okay," he replies. 

"Our friend Yoona is on her way," Changmin adds. "She'll keep you company while I'm gone."

"Okay," Yunho says again. Changmin’s reassurance obviously didn’t satisfy him, but Yunho wasn’t going to complain about it.

Changmin sits next to Yunho on the bed. "Are you okay?" he asks, grabbing Yunho's hand and interlacing their fingers together. 

Yunho nods, smiling again. "Yeah," he answers. "I just-" Yunho shrugs "-I don't want to be alone," he admits, his mouth forming a put pout that breaks Changmin's heart into a million pieces. 

"You won't be," Changmin says, giving Yunho's hand a small squeeze. "I'm staying until Yoona comes, and I'll be back home before she leaves." Changmin knows that definitely not enough. He wants nothing more than to call his boss and tell him he can't come to work today. Changmin hates leaving Yunho when he's so clingy.

Yunho nods, leaning his body against Changmin. 

"Yunho?" Changmin asks. "Are you sure you're okay?" He brings his hand to Yunho's forehead. He doesn't feel too warm, so that throws out the possibility of a fever coming. 

"I'm okay," Yunho reassures, although it does nothing to ease Changmin’s concern.

"Is your stomach hurting again?" Changmin tries again. 

Yunho shakes his head. "I'm fine," he insists. 

"I'll leave work early, okay?" Changmin promises. "I'll pick you up some cupcakes on the way home."

Yunho instantly brightens. "Really?"

Changmin nods. Even before Yunho was diagnosed with dementia, there was no problem that sweet desserts couldn’t fix. "Really," he repeats with a smile. 

* * *

"Back again?" Ryeowook teases as he sees Changmin enter the bakery.

Changmin rolls his eyes. "Yunho really loves cupcakes," he whines. "Do you know how hard it is to deny him when he gives me those stupid puppy dog eyes?"

"You have no willpower, Min," Ryeowook says as he shakes his head. He reaches into the display case and grabs each flavor of cupcake that he had and placed them in a box.

"The way I see it, you should be happy Yunho and I are keeping you in business," Changmin says, pulling out his wallet. "We're probably going to make you a millionaire soon...unless you've been spending your money recklessly?"

Ryeowook scoffed. "I'm reckless? Don't think I don't know that you used to spend your entire paychecks on Lego sets," he replies, sticking out his tongue as he snatched Changmin's credit card.

"Kyuhyun," Changmin angrily whispers. Kyuhyun was the only person he told about that. Changmin makes a mental note to beat the crap out of him later. "I only did that twice," Changmin defends himself. 

Ryeowook laughs. Kyuhyun and his lack of filter make him the worst candidate in keeping secrets, and Ryeowook knows that Changmin seems to forget that several times.

He grabs a few cookies as well and places them in a small paper bag. "Consider the cookies a gift, so you can save your money wisely the next time you need to buy Legos."

Changmin grabs the food and his credit card with a pout. 

"Bye, Minnie," Ryeowook sings as he throws up a finger heart.

Changmin just needs one finger to get his message across, but he opts against it when a woman and two children walk in. Instead, he bids Ryeowook a good night before walking out the door.

Changmin gets into his car and places the desserts on the passenger seat. He smiles as he checks the time. Even with the stop to Ryeowook's bakery, Changmin still has enough time to make it home before the latest episode of Yunho's favorite drama starts. 

He starts the car and drives off.

Changmin is only six blocks away from their apartment when he drives through an intersection. 

There’s a flash of light, tires squealing, and the sound of crunching metal before everything goes still and quiet once more.

* * *

 

Yunho knows something is wrong. 

Yoona tries her hardest to reassure him, but nothing seems to work, and Yunho only gets more anxious as the minutes pass.

“Where’s Changmin?” Yunho asks.

Yoona shakes her head. “He was probably held up at work,” she guesses. “I’ll try calling him again.” She pulls out her cell phone and dials Changmin’s number. She bites her thumbnail, listening to the phone ringing and silently praying that Changmin picks up his phone.

He was never like this; Changmin was always diligent in communicating with Yoona, and if he was staying at work late, he was always fast in letting her know. He hated making Yunho worry, and Yoona specifically remembered Changmin promising to come home a couple hours early.

However, it had been almost three hours after Changmin had promised to be home, and there had been no word from him.

Yoona gets Changmin’s voicemail and suppresses a groan.

Yunho hangs his head. “Does...does Changmin not want to come home tonight?” he asks, his voice is cracking.

Yoona shakes her head. “Of course not, Yunho,” she quickly reassures. “Changmin loves you. He just might be caught up in something right now.”

Yunho nods in understanding, but Yoona could see the residual hurt in his eyes. It breaks her heart that Yunho’s first assumption is that Changmin needed space away from him. But, with how much she knew about Changmin, that was far from the case. 

Yoona gasped when her phone started to ring. An unfamiliar number appeared on her caller ID, but she answered it anyway. “Hello?”

“Is that Changmin?” Yunho asks excitedly. “Is he coming?”

Yoona holds up her index finger, signalling Yunho to calm down while she tried to listen to what she was being told. 

“Wh-what?” Yoona says breathlessly. She glances at Yunho, her mouth hanging open. 

Yunho's face drops as he notices Yoona turn pale at whatever she's being told.

“Why? What happened?” Another pause as she swallows the lump in her throat. “We’re on our way.”

* * *

 

Kyuhyun is pacing the waiting room. Minho and Siwon are sitting with Changmin’s sisters and parents, trying their hardest to provide any form of comfort to the family. It’s obviously not working.

Yoona and Yunho are the last to show up. As Yoona approached the somber group, she feels her heart drop.

“What happened?” Yoona asks. She didn’t get much information from the phone call. All Kyuhyun had told her over the phone was that Changmin was hurt and that they needed to be at the hospital as soon as possible. 

Mrs. Shim only cries harder at the question and Yoona wished she hadn’t asked at all. 

Kyuhyun approaches them; his eyes red and body exhausted. “Car accident,” he croaks. He lowered his voice enough so the Shim family couldn’t hear; he knew it made no difference; they already knew everything related to Changmin’s condition, but Kyuhyun really didn’t want to give them anymore reminders. “It...it doesn’t look good.”

A sob escaped Yunho’s lips. “Changmin,” he painfully whispers.

“The doctors are helping him now,” Yoona quickly replies. “We just have to wait a little longer.”

‘A little longer’ turned into two more hours. 

A doctor walks out of the operation room; he looks tired and somber and that breaks everyone's hearts even more. 

"Doctor," Mr. Shim breathes out. He jumps out of his chair. "How's our son?"

The doctor sighs. "Mr. Shim...the injuries your son sustained were very extensive and we've done all we could…"

"What are you saying?" Changmin's father quickly asks. His legs feel weak all of a sudden.

"We've repaired as much of the damage as we can, but for now, all we can do is make him comfortable. The next twenty-four hours are critical."

Mr. Shim swallows, the doctor's words sink in like a ton of bricks. He can hear his wife’s cries intensify. "You mean after all this, our son can still die?" He feels his throat closing up as he asks the question. 

"It's a miracle your son survived the trip to the hospital," the doctor confesses. "There was significant bleeding in his chest and abdomen and-"

"Stop," Mr. Shim begs, holding his hand up. The last thing he wanted to hear was a recounting of how his son was trapped in his car and bleeding out all alone. He was sure that image would haunt him for years to come.

"I have full faith in your son," the doctor says. "But...I do recommend that you prepare for the worst."

Mrs. Shim sobs. "Can we see him?"

The doctor nodded, and the group was led to the ICU. 

Changmin was so fragile, they weren't allowed to see him all at once. His parents went in to see him first, of course. Then Minho and Siwon together. 

Kyuhyun goes by himself. 

But when Kyuhyun gets inside Changmin's room, all he wants to do is run away.

Changmin is pale, too pale. The only sign of life coming from Changmin is the sound of the beeping heart monitor and the ventilator providing him with the oxygen to survive-

- _ if  _ he survives.

Kyuhyun swallows the lump in his throat. "H-hey Chwang," he chokes, taking hold of Changmin's right hand; his left arm was broken and in a cast. "You really suck, you know that? You promised me you'll try hard to not land in the hospital again but here we are."

There's no reply from Changmin, as expected, and Kyuhyun feels weak.

"Please come out of this, Changmin," Kyuhyun begged. "Please. I need my best friend. Yunho needs his husband. Your family needs their son and brother." Kyuhyun feels tears falling from his eyes. "Please Changmin you've got to get through this. The doctor says if you make it to tomorrow then you'll have a fighting chance. So...please try and make it until then. And then we'll take it one day at a time from there, okay?" Kyuhyun gave Changmin's hand a gentle squeeze. "You've gone through so much, Changmin. I know how strong you are. You can get through this, okay?"

Kyuhyun isn't sure that Changmin could hear him. But he really hoped he could, because he wasn't ready to lose his best friend. 

There was a light tap on the door, signaling that his time with Changmin was almost up. "You're probably annoyed with the sound of my voice, aren't you?" he teased. "Fine. I'll leave, but I hope you're prepared for me to talk your ears off once you wake up." 

Kyuhyun's fingers make their way to Changmin's hair, careful to avoid the bandage on the left side of Changmin’s forehead. Changmin's skin is clammy and cool to the touch, and the feeling makes Kyuhyun shiver. 

He wasn't ready to leave Changmin's side, not now, not ever. But he knew he'd have to.

Besides, he'd have all the time in the world to bother Changmin after he gets better.

As Kyuhyun leaves the room, his own body feels cold and heavy now, but his feet seem to move faster than his mind can work and he speeds out of the room, past the sad crowd of Changmin's friends and family. 

He enters a room, it's mostly dark; dim lights are the only help Kyuhyun receives to not risk tripping over anything. 

Kyuhyun slows down his steps, taking a seat on one of the benches. 

He looks ahead so see a large cross plastered on the wall before he finally realizes where he is. 

"Do you know how long I sat in here after  _ your _ car accident?" a voice from behind says, causing Kyuhyun to jump and turn around.

Siwon approaches him, taking a seat next to him.

"If...if I can survive that," Kyuhyun mutters. "Changmin can survive this, right?"

Siwon doesn't give an answer to that; he didn't have one.

Instead, he pulls the younger one closer, allowing Kyuhyun to lean on his chest and cry his heart out.

* * *

"Changmin," Yunho breathes as he and Yoona approaches Changmin's bedside. "How did-?" Yunho cuts his own words off, his hands floated around Changmin's face, desperately wanting to touch him but also not wanting to hurt him anymore than he already was. He turned to Yoona, a desperate look in his eyes. "He'll be okay, right?" he asks. 

Yoona feels her eyes watering at the question because she had no idea how she should even answer. 

Yunho turns back to Changmin, finally placing his hand on Changmin’s cheek. "You’ll be okay, Changmin," he says. "Just wake up when you’re ready. You’ll be okay." Whether Yunho was reassuring himself, or hoping Changmin would hear him, Yoona wasn’t too sure.

With his other hand, he grabs Changmin's hand and laces their fingers together. "He does this for me sometimes," Yunho mutters, running his fingers through Changmin’s hair. "It makes me feel better. Maybe it might help him?" 

Yoona nods, forcing herself to smile. "It will."

"Changmin," Yunho says softly. "I don't...I don't know if you can hear but...if you can...I just want you to know that I don't want you to be in pain anymore. I don't want you hurting anymore, Changmin."

Yunho bites his lip. He wants nothing more than to pull Changmin in a tight hug. Instead, he bends over and kisses Changmin's forehead. 

"Sometimes Changmin does that after he's done telling me stories," Yunho says, as if his action demanded an explanation. "I like when he does that."

Yoona nods. "That's how he shows that he cares for you."

“This happened because I asked him to come home early,” Yunho infers. 

“Yunho that’s not true!” Yoona argues. “None of this is your fault. No one blames you for this; Changmin certainly wouldn’t.”

“He wouldn’t have been on the road if it wasn’t for me.”

“Yunho, listen to me,” Yoona begs. She pulls him away and grabs his shoulders. “The  _ only  _ person at fault is the man that ran a red light and hit Changmin.” She sighs. “I’ll keep screaming that until you understand.”

Yunho wipes the tears from his face. Despite Yoona’s words, Yunho can’t stop himself.

He turns back to Changmin, grabbing his hand once more. “Changmin. I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so so sorry.”

That’s something he’d be willing to scream until Changmin heard him.

* * *

As Kyuhyun and Siwon leave the chapel and return to the group, they're met with blood curdling screams. 

Kyuhyun's legs feel like jello as he watches Changmin's mom screaming and desperately fighting to get into Changmin's hospital room. 

Mr. Shim is holding his wife back, but even the older man is losing his will to fight. 

Yunho is holding onto Yoona tightly as he sobs and cries.

Minho, always the one trying to be the rock for everyone, stands in between Changmin's sisters, holding them tightly. 

“What’s going on?” Siwon chokes as he wraps his arm around Kyuhyun’s shoulders once more. Siwon knew that was probably a stupid question; it was pretty obvious what was happening.

“He…” Yunho attempts to answer Siwon’s question, but his words get lost between his weeps.” “He just...code blue…” he trails off.

Kyuhyun is glad that he’s still in Siwon’s hold, because he was sure he either would have tried to barge into Changmin’s room and yell at him to snap out of it, or just fall to the ground in a heap.

But then, Changmin's room opens up, revealing the same doctor from before, followed by a team of nurses. The doctor looks as if he's aged twenty years and Kyuhyun knows-

"I'm sorry," the doctor says, hanging his head. "We couldn't save him."

* * *

_ "We couldn't save him." _

Those words echo mercilessly as the world seems to spin much faster than it should have.

Nurses have already pulled out the tubes and IV from Changmin, cleaning him up and making him presentable for his family to give their final goodbyes.

It was hard for them to see Changmin laying peacefully on his hospital bed and not lie to themselves. 

_ He’s just asleep. He’ll wake up soon. _

_ He just needs some rest right now. He’ll be fine in the morning. _

But the truth slaps them in the face every time. The truth is that Changmin is dead.

None of them took Changmin's death well; how could they?

Changmin was suddenly ripped from them for no reason, leaving a hole in everyone's lives.

It just wasn't fair. 

Changmin's family was in terrible shape. The four remaining members of the Shim family cried so painfully that anyone who witnessed their distress felt as if they’d been stabbed over and over in the chest.

That’s probably what losing your beloved son and brother must feel like anyway.

Siwon, after all of them left the hospital that night, went from grieving to angry in only a couple of hours, punching holes in his walls and tearing his bedroom apart as tears flowed uncontrollably from his eyes. It wasn’t fair; it wasn’t fair at all. Changmin was a good man who never hurt anyone, but now he was gone just because someone else decided to drive irresponsibly.

That was something Siwon had no idea how to process.

Changmin was someone Minho  _ always  _ looked up to. And Changmin, unable to resist Minho's charms, took the younger one under his wing almost immediately. With Changmin's death, Minho found himself drained of energy, crying so much that his throat burned and his head ached. No one could blame him; when Minho felt emotions, he felt it  _ hard. _ Whether it was happiness or intense pain, his heart felt it a hundred times more than the average person.

Yunho was no better. He cried and wailed for Changmin, desperately pleading for all of this to be one sick joke. Despite losing his memories, what Yunho did remember was how precious Changmin is to him, and being hit with the pain of realizing that he would never see Changmin again just tore him to pieces.

Kyuhyun and Changmin met each other in kindergarten. Despite whatever he had gone through, Changmin was always a constant in his life. After everything, Kyuhyun knew he could look to his side and see Changmin there.

And now, Kyuhyun's strength was gone.

So it was no surprise that he had been crying bitterly in Seohyun's arms for hours after getting home. 

"I'm sorry," Kyuhyun finally says between hiccups. As his cries die down, Seohyun doesn't let go, and Kyuhyun is so grateful for that.

"You shouldn't apologize, Kyu," she said softly. "Changmin is your best friend. Just know that I'm here for you, okay? I wish I could bring him back."

Kyuhyun chuckles. "He always said you were too good for me," he says. "He said you were so sweet and I didn't deserve you."

Seohyun starts running her fingers through Kyuhyun's hair.

"I know he was always teasing me when he said that," Kyuhyun continues. "But I can't help but think that he's a little right, you know? You've been so good to me, especially after Changmin had to become Yunho's caretaker. I owe you so much."

Seohyun shakes her head. "You know...If Yunho and I hadn't come along, you and Changmin probably would have married each other," she teases, causing Kyuhyun to laugh through his tears. "Changmin is family. He needed you as much as you need him."

Kyuhyun finds himself holding his wife tighter. 

That night, they cry in each other’s arms.

* * *

Kyuhyun wasn’t too happy about this. He wasn’t happy about anything at the moment, but this was definitely at the top of his list. 

He stands before the front door of the Shims’ house; he knows his eyes are red and he looks like a complete mess.

But he has to do this.

He looks down to the envelope in his hands and feels his throat closing up.

With a sigh, Kyuhyun brings a shaky hand to the door and knocks.

A part of him is hoping no one answers; he knows that’s cowardly but it’s painfully true.

But when Mrs. Shim answers the door, Kyuhyun immediately let out a sob.

“G-good evening, Mrs. Shim,” Kyuhyun mutters.

“Oh, Kyuhyun,” the older woman replies. She pulls him into a hug and holds him tightly.

Mr. Shim approaches, looking just as worn out as his wife. But he smiles at the sight of his son’s best friend.

“You’re so skinny,” Mrs. Shim says to Kyuhyun as she ended the hug, rubbing the younger man’s arms. “Have you been eating well? You and Changmin could never gain weight no matter how much we fed you two. You must be hungry right now.”

Kyuhyun smiles as he wipes his eyes. “Don’t worry,” he reassures. “I’ve been eating, I swear.”

“Would you like to come in?” Mr. Shim asked.

Kyuhyun shakes his head. “I...I can’t stay long.”  _ Because I don’t want you two to see me break down and cry like a baby again.  _ He inhales a shaky breath. “I have something to give you two. It’s...from Changmin.”

He hands Mrs. Shim the envelope with a trembling hand. 

Changmin’s parents both give Kyuhyun confused looks, but Kyuhyun can't get himself to give any explanation. 

“I have to go,” he chokes, and speeds off before Changmin’s parents can get a word in.

Mr. and Mrs. Shim close their front door and head to the living room, where their two daughters are now. The two of them are clearly waiting for an explanation from their parents.

The four of them sit together on the couch.

With a deep breath, Mrs. Shim opens the envelope.

_ Hi Mom. Hi Dad. _

_ If you're reading this, it means that I've died somehow. _

_ And for that, I'm sorry. It definitely wasn't my intention to leave you all so soon. My hope was you would never have to read this letter. _

_ First and foremost, I want to say how much I love the two of you. I'm so grateful for how you raised me. I know it wasn't easy for the two of you, but I'm proud of the man I grew up to be, and I know my parents had everything to do with that. So thank you. If I wasn't good at showing my appreciation while I was still alive, then I'm sorry for that too. But I really wanted to make sure that, above anything else, you knew that I loved you both and that you did a wonderful job in raising me. _

_ And my sisters, I didn't forget them. I love them so much! I'm so happy that you gave me two wonderful sisters who always made me happy (although they mercilessly teased me. I think I can forgive that though). They had such a weird older brother that they had to deal with. But I love them, and I'm sorry that I'm not alive to be with them anymore. My whole life I wanted nothing more than to protect them and be by their sides, but I can't fulfill that promise either. _

_ It's not fair. But I want them to know that I love them too. Please always make sure that they know how smart and beautiful they are. And make sure, if and when they fall in love, that it's with men who are kind and loving; men that would do anything to make sure they're happy and safe. They should be with men who love them like their father loved their mother or maybe men who love them like Yunho loves me. _

_ That kind of brings me to the main reason I wrote this letter.  _

_ Finding out about Yunho's diagnosis was one of the hardest moments of my life. I couldn't stop crying at the thought that Yunho would one day just not be Yunho. Some nights, the pain was so great that I'd lay awake and cry so long that the next morning my entire body hurt. I would feel so cold and tired, and it was hard to find the will to make it sometimes.  _

_ But my loving family always helped me get through it, and for that, I'm thankful.  _

_ But one day, it dawned on me that, while Yunho's lifespan had decreased dramatically, I still couldn't bear the thought of something happening to me, and Yunho being left alone.  _

_ And I know, Yunho's family is just as loving as ours, and they would handle caring for him with zero complaints. _

_ I want to make sure they get as much help as possible.  _

_ In case you get this letter before my will gets read (of course I had one made), then I will let you know ahead of time that mostof my money will go to Yunho's family so that his needs are taken care of. The rest will go to my family, of course. I know all of you are still doing well, but this is my way of making sure you're all taken care of as well. There's probably not much more I can do for everyone beyond the grave, but this is one way I know how. _

_ What I'm about to ask might seem unfair. None of you signed up for this, but please also continue to care for Yunho. Make sure he's happy and healthy. He may be dependent and have problems, but he's still the man I love and I want his life to be as easy as possible with all the time he has left. _

_ And I ask all of you to please not be too sad over my death. Please promise me that one day, you'll be able to hear my name or look at a picture of me without crying or getting sad. I love my family, and I want everyone to be happy. Just know that I enjoyed my life, so even if it was cut short, I still appreciate the time I spent. I still appreciate the life I was able to live. That's what's more valuable, I think. You shouldn't be sad over the life that was taken, you should be happy about the life I was able to live. Please remember that. _

_ Thank you, Mom and Dad, for everything. _

_ Your son, _

_ Changmin. _

The Shim family house was quiet for the rest of the night, the only sounds coming from the inhabitants were the sobs that just couldn't stop. 

* * *

Kyuhyun feels so weak. His back hurts, his legs are wobbly, and his arms are numb. 

What makes the pain worse, however, is the casket hoisted on his shoulder. He and five others, Siwon and Minho included, are given the daunting task of being pallbearers for Changmin’s coffin.

He hates the way all of this feels. He hates that he was asked to fill this role. He hates the worried side glances that Siwon gives him every few seconds.

As if to highlight the complete dread, rain begins to fall.

The heavens are mourning Changmin as well, it seems.

* * *

"He asks about Changmin sometimes," Jihye says, her eyes watering. She laughs, but Kyuhyun could still sense the pain behind it. "It doesn't matter what you tell him. He won't remember what you tell him anyway." She almost sounded cheery when she said it.

At hearing that, Kyuhyun felt a pang of envy, as twisted as that seems.

Sometimes he wishes that he could forget that Changmin was dead too.

“And what about you?” Kyuhyun asked. “Are you okay?”

Jihye nods, and Kyuhyun can’t tell if she’s lying or not. 

“I’m fine,” she confirms. “I’m just a little tired, I think.” She smiles. “Kyuhyun...Thank you so much for helping my family with Yunho,” Jihye adds. “You didn’t have to do any of this.”

Kyuhyun shakes his head. “It’s no problem,” he replies. And it really wasn’t. Changmin was his best friend. Yunho was married to his best friend; Yunho made his best friend happy; Yunho loved and cared for his best friend. Of course Kyuhyun would do anything to return the favor.

“How...how did he take it?” Kyuhyun asks hesitantly.

“He’s okay with it,” Jihye answered, already knowing what Kyuhyun was worried about. “At least...he didn’t refuse or throw a fit.”

Yunho was going back to Gwangju. 

Kyuhyun, as well as the rest of their friends, hated the idea. Yunho would be farther away from them. He’d be taken from the home he lived in for many years already, most of those years with Changmin.

But they understood it was definitely what was best for him. 

Yunho needed his family to care for him, and they couldn’t do it with Yunho being so far away.

The apartment that Yunho and Changmin loved so dearly was almost empty now; everything still here was placed in boxes ready to be sent to the Jung home in Gwangju. It was strange for Kyuhyun to see the apartment so bare.

“Do you need anymore help packing anything?” Kyuhyun offers. 

“You’ve been very helpful with everything,” Jihye says. “We’re practically done over here.”

“Can I see him?” Kyuhyun asks. “I have something I’d like to give him.”

Jihye nods. “He’s in the bedroom,” she answers. 

Kyuhyun makes his way to the bedroom, and sees Yunho sitting on the floor looking through a photo album. Kyuhyun gets closer and he can see that it’s the photo album put together of Yunho and Changmin’s wedding.

“Hey, Yunho,” Kyuhyun says.

Yunho’s head snaps up and he replies with a friendly greeting, but Kyuhyun can still see the look in Yunho’s eyes.

“I’m Kyuhyun. I’m a friend.” He approaches Yunho and glances at the photo album. “Mind if I join you?”

Yunho smiles and shakes his head, patting the space in the floor next to him. “We don’t have any furniture anymore,” he says. “Jihye says I’m going to live with my mom and dad.”

“It’ll be great for you, Yunho,” Kyuhyun replies. “They really miss you, and I’m sure you’ll have a good time being in your hometown.”

Yunho just nods and continues looking through the pictures. He gasps and points to a picture, directing Kyuhyun’s attention to it. “This is you,” he says.

Kyuhyun looks at the picture and smiles. It’s a picture of Changmin and Kyuhyun, laughing and holding glasses of champagne. Kyuhyun remembers the exact moment this was taken; there was a bright flash and the two of them looked over to see Siwon holding a camera and fawning over his “adorable baby brothers”.

“Changmin and I got married,” Yunho muttered as he moved onto the next picture.

Kyuhyun wondered if it was a good idea to ask Yunho how much of the wedding he remembered, but decided against it. 

That thought reminded Kyuhyun why he was here in the first place.

Kyuhyun smiled, reaching into his pocket. “I have something for you, Yunho,” he says. He pulls out a silver bracelet. 

“What’s that?” Yunho asks curiously as he accepts the gift.

“It’s Changmin’s old bracelet,” Kyuhyun answered. “I think you should have it.” He chuckled as he helped Yunho put the bracelet on his wrist. “It was one of his favorites. But he lost it in a bet. I always promised that I’d return it to him when the time was right…” he trailed off once the clasp was secured. 

“It looks really nice,” Yunho commented as he stared at the piece of jewelry in awe. “What was the bet?”

Kyuhyun smiled. It was a bet that Changmin and Kyuhyun had in college. It was a few days after Changmin told Kyuhyun about some dork that spilled hot chocolate on him. Changmin bounced between annoyance and admiration for the hot, clumsy guy that ran into him.

Finally, once Kyuhyun was tired of being a part of Changmin’s emotional roller coaster, he finally insisted that Changmin just ask the guy out. It would have been easy, since he left Changmin his number in case he wanted him to pay for a new shirt.

_ “There’s no way he’d be interested in me,” Changmin moaned, burying his face in his hands. _

_ “Why not?” Kyuhyun asked. “You don’t give yourself enough credit.” _

_ “We don’t even know if he’s into guys anyway,” Changmin pointed out. _

_ “Then get to know him. The worst that can happen is the two of you just become good friends.” _

_ “Kyuhyun,” Changmin whined. He knew his best friend had a point, and he hated to admit it.  _

_ Kyuhyun sighed, sitting up straighter. “How about this? If I’m wrong, and this guy completely rejects you, you can take my 2NE1 album.” _

_ “Last bet we had cost you two of your X-Box games,” Changmin reminded him, a smirk appearing on his face. “Are you sure you’re ready to lose everything?” _

_ “Are you sure you’re ready to die alone?” Kyuhyun countered, causing Changmin’s facial expression to drop. “Didn’t think so.” _

_ “What do you get if you’re right?” Changmin asked.  _

_ Kyuhyun glanced at Changmin’s left wrist, his bracelet wrapped around it as always. “I’ll take your bracelet.” _

_ Changmin held his wrist to his chest, as if Kyuhyun was going to snatch the bracelet right off. _

_ “I’ll go make room on my shelf for my new CD,” Changmin said with a pout. _

_ “What’s this guy’s name anyway?” Kyuhyun asked. “Did you get it.” _

_ “Yunho,” Changmin answered. “His name is Yunho.” _

“Changmin had low confidence,” Kyuhyun says, refusing to answer Yunho’s question directly. “I made that bet to raise it.” He smiled proudly. “I think it worked.” 

Yunho seems satisfied with that explanation. 

There’s a small tap at the door, and Yunho and Kyuhyun looked up to see Jihye holding a glass of water. “Sorry to interrupt,” she says as she walks in. “It’s time for Yunho’s medication.”

Kyuhyun nods in understanding. He watches as Jihye gives Yunho his pills and water. It’s not the most violent thing he’d ever seen, but it still hurt to watch.

There was no cure Yunho’s dementia, but he’s on various medications to manage his symptoms. But with all the medications Yunho was always taking, came the side effects. Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and fatigue were the ones that always appeared the most. 

Kyuhyun didn’t understand how Changmin could stay sane as he watched his beloved husband slowly wither away. In a way, in a terrible, twisted way, Kyuhyun was glad Changmin didn’t have to watch Yunho deteriorate and then die an early death. 

It was mercy; a sick, perverted form of mercy that only complex minds would understand.

“It’s time for lunch, Yunho,” Jihye says. “We’ll eat on the couch since our movers took our dining table.” She laughs shyly.

Yunho closed his photo album and moved to stand up with Jihye. 

“Would you like to join us, Kyu?” Jihye asks as the three of them walk out of the bedroom.

Yunho heads straight to the kitchen while the two of them stand at the doorway.

Kyuhyun shakes his head. “No thank you,” he responds. “I’ll come back tomorrow before you two leave.”

Jihye pulls Kyuhyun into a hug and sighs. Kyuhyun immediately wraps his arms around her. 

“Thank you, Kyuhyun,” she whispers painfully as she ends the hug.

“Anytime, Jihye,” Kyuhyun whispers back. He smiles. “Make sure Yunho never loses that bracelet, okay?”

Kyuhyun takes his leave, and for some reason, for the first time since Changmin died, Kyuhyun can feel a sliver of peace return.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it. But I hope you all don't hate me for killing Changmin >_< I've never written a major death before (my poor heart could never handle it) but when I was first writing this fic the idea came to me and never went away.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Until next time :)


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